“A Day in the Life of Recovery tells the stories of real people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness or a substance use disorder and gone through tough times, yet have come out the other side stronger than ever. The individuals we are profiling are tough, resilient, and so much more than their diagnosis. The people featured are like all of us: they have family, friends, hobbies, goals, insecurities, good days, bad days, and hearts full of passion and drive. This project’s mission is to bring mental illness and substance use out of the shadows and create a campaign that simply paints these characteristics as normal challenges along the spectrum of the human condition. Let’s start a conversation about these important topics, and let’s show our community that the recovery process provides hope for individuals who may feel as though nothing else can help.”

The idea for A Day in the Life of Recovery began during David Mineta’s five years with the White House Drug Policy Office, where he witnessed the effectiveness of sharing recovery stories, which helped reduce the stigma surrounding substance use disorders and mental illness. Unfortunately, stigma can prevent affected persons and their families from reaching out for help. Mineta met with Momentum for Mental Health’s Board and Development Team, led by Mike Hayes, about how to develop this idea into a full-fledged program. At a Board member’s suggestion, Mineta connected with PRxDigital, a marketing communications firm focused on public affairs and community-building.

The vision of showcasing recovery by creating a photojournalism series took shape when Mineta huddled with PRxDigital’s team. Daniel Garza, a former longtime reporter with NBC Bay Area and PRxDigital’s senior vice president, headed up the creative process, engaging the storytelling talent of veteran news writer Joe Rodriguez and the visual artistry of renowned photographers from the Associated Press. Working carefully through the Momentum Development Team’s diligent process to identify individuals to profile, portraits of recovery slowly came to life.

The creative team’s video interviews provide further insight into the lives of these champions from Momentum who were so gracious in telling their stories to benefit others. The videos are featured on this website created by Momentum’s Development Team.

Our ability to create A Day in the Life of Recovery and give it the spotlight it deserves in libraries, government offices, corporate lobbies and other locations was made possible because of an exceptional group of sponsors who had the knowledge, awareness, and compassion to stand up for this groundbreaking Exhibit. We are very grateful to Mike Fox, Sr. for being the first bold underwriter. Joining Mary Ellen and Mike Fox, Sr. were Sutter Health/PAMF, Valeta & TJ Rodgers, Toeniskoetter Family Foundation, LPMD Architects, McManis Faulkner Law Firm, the VMC Foundation, Republic Family of Companies and Kaiser Permanente.

The truth is, very few people in the world are untouched by mental illness and substance use disorders. Current research cannot yet solve the frustration and pain of these illnesses, but the stigma attached to the diseases can be reduced, making it easier for people impacted to seek a path toward recovery.

A Day in the Life of Recovery is designed as a traveling exhibit. If you would like to share this series in your corporation lobby or other venue, please contact Alithia Ramirez at (408) 254-6828, ext. 1217 or aramirez@momentummh.org.